Zagreber Germanistische Beiträge is an annual, peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to issues in German Cultural Studies. The journal publishes scholarly articles, reports, and book reviews in the German language.
Published by the Department of German Studies at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb, and supported by the Croatian Ministry of Science, Education and Youth, the journal has been an active platform for research in German Studies since its founding in 1992 by Marijan Bobinac, who served as editor-in-chief until 2011.
While early volumes primarily focused on German Studies in the South-Eastern European context, beginning with the 2015 issue, the journal adopted a more defined profile as a platform for German Cultural Studies with a regional focus. Each issue includes both general contributions to the field of German Studies and research dealing with regional dimensions. Additional topics of relevance to the broader field of Germanistik may also be published in the journal’s “Miscellaneous” section.
Our editorial vision aims to utilize regional knowledge, experience, and scholarly networks to articulate broader theoretical questions in Cultural Studies. Rather than narrowing the field, the regional emphasis is intended to sharpen general discourse. This approach continues the strong legacy of internationally engaged German Studies at the University of Zagreb, shaped by scholars such as Zdenko Škreb (1904–1985) and Viktor Žmegač (1929–2022). The Department of German Studies remains rooted in Slavistic and comparative literary traditions, engaging actively with both regional and international academic communities.
The term “South-Eastern Europe” is understood not strictly as a geographical region, but as a complex cultural space—a topographical and discursive landscape positioned between the center of Europe and its so-called periphery. Our use of the term reflects overlapping interpretations, drawing on the work of Moritz Csáky (Central Europe), Maria Todorova and Holm Sundhaussen (Balkan Studies and the concept of Balkanism), as well as Yuri Lotman’s concept of the semiosphere as a model for interconnected linguistic and cultural systems.
This regional focus does not draw rigid boundaries, but rather analyzes intersections, exchanges, and cultural transfers between South-Eastern and German-speaking regions, understood as geo-historical spaces and semiotic constellations. Our specific location offers a unique vantage point to observe bidirectional dynamics: on one hand, the historical and cultural interests of German-speaking regions in the so-called Porta Orientis (gateway to the East), and on the other, the westward cultural orientation of South-Eastern European peripheries toward German-speaking imperial and intellectual centers.
“Zagreber Germanistische Beiträge” is an open-access journal. All articles are freely available online in PDF format without subscription or payment barriers.
Open Access and Availability
All issues of Zagreber Germanistische Beiträge are available in open access at the following platforms:
Hrčak – Portal of Croatian Scientific and Professional Journals: http://hrcak.srce.hr/zgb
Journal website, under Archive: https://zgbde.ffzg.unizg.hr/?page_id=155
Central and Eastern European Online Library (C.E.E.O.L.): http://www.ceeol.com
Indexing and Abstracting Services
Zagreber Germanistische Beiträge is indexed and abstracted in the following databases:
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ERIH PLUS
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LLBA – Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts
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MLA International Bibliography
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MLA Directory of Periodicals
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Linguistic Bibliography Online
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BDSL – Bibliography of German Language and Literary Studies
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CEEOL – Central and Eastern European Online Library
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German Studies – International Reference Database with Bibliographic Information
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EBSCOhost
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CEEAS – Central & Eastern European Academic Source
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German National Library of Science and Technology (TIB)
ISSN (Print): 1330-0946
e-ISSN (Online): 1849-1766